Snacks

How to Beat the Heat This Summer

It’s almost Summer and, boy, it is already impossibly hot here in Texas. My favorite way of cooling off is with a refreshing smoothie! But what if you want to make the smoothie into more of a meal? A smoothie bowl is the answer!

You’ve probably seen Instagram and Pinterest filled with gorgeously vibrant smoothie bowls and wondered how to make them. How do they get them so creamy? What do you top them with?

So, to celebrate the launch of my free download of My 5 Fave Smoothie Recipes, and to help crack the code of how to make a drool-worthy, refreshing smoothie bowl, here are my top tips to help you make the Ultimate Summer Smoothie Bowl!

My 5 Tips to Make the Ultimate Summer Smoothie Bowl

Tip #1: Have an awesome high speed blender

To make a perfectly creamy smoothie or smoothie bowl, a quality high speed blender is a must. A lower end blender will not be able to puree all the ingredients thoroughly and you will end up with chunks of fruit or greens in your smoothie. That texture will be a little off-putting, and we do not want that! We want the smoothie to be ultra creamy, almost like ice cream!

I use a Vitamix blender for my smoothies. It was completely life changing to switch from a lower end blender to the Vitamix. It purees everything so well! You do not see a single chunk of fruit and the texture is insanely creamy!

The Vitamix comes with a tamper, or long plastic tool, that helps to move the ingredients from the blender walls into the blender blades, to ensure all the ingredients are thoroughly pureed together.

Here’s a link to a Vitamix blender on Amazon that has awesome reviews. Please note that this is an affiliate link and if you choose to purchase through this link, I may receive a small compensation, at no cost to you!

Tip #2: Use frozen fruit (and veggies!)

Instead of adding ice to the blender, use frozen fruit to not only give natural sweetness to the smoothie bowl, but also for the ice cream-like texture. Adding ice to the smoothie tends to give that icy, crystal texture which is not as creamy.

Some frozen fruit and veggies that make awesome smoothie bowls are bananas, strawberries, blueberries, acai, mangos, avocados, beets and pineapple.

Tip #3: Use the least amount of liquid possible

If you want your smoothie bowl to have a thick, creamy consistency like ice cream, try to use the smallest amount of liquid as possible. Adding too much liquid, whether it be cow’s milk, almond milk, coconut milk or water, will make the smoothie bowl texture too thin.

This is another reason why using a Vitamix, or another high speed blender, is so beneficial. It does not need as much liquid to get all the ingredients blended together. This helps to maintain the thick and creamy texture of the smoothie.

Tip #4: Use a variety of toppings with contrasting colors, textures or flavors

Now for topping the smoothie bowl! If you saw my Instagram post, you’ll see that the topping choices are only limited by your imagination and what you like to eat!

As a general rule of thumb, I like to top my smoothie bowls with toppings that have different colors, textures or flavors. For me, the toppings fit into four categories:

1. Fresh Fruit: The fresh fruit gives that vibrant, fresh sweetness to the bowl. Great choices for fresh fruit are berries, citrus, kiwi fruit, pineapple, basically anything that doesn’t have a mushy texture.
2. Dried Fruit: I love the sweet and tart flavor that dried fruit adds to a smoothie bowl. In addition, it can be quite chewy which is a great contrast of texture to the creamy smoothie bowl. Options for dried fruit include goji berries, golden berries, cranberries, cherries, apricots or mango.
3. Crunchy: What goes better with a creamy smoothie bowl than something super crunchy?!! I love to add roasted nuts or seeds, chocolate chips or cacao nibs, or even granola, on top of my smoothie bowls. Plus the contrast of creamy and crunchy really keeps me going back for another bite of smoothie bowl!
4. Chewy: Since the smoothie can melt so quickly, a chewy topping is a great addition to the bowl so you really feel like you are getting a real meal. Dried fruit are a great chewy component, as well as dried coconut flakes, raw nuts or hemp hearts.

Tip #5: Have fun with flavors!

There are so many flavors you can try with smoothie bowls! My fave smoothie bowls are ones that contain summer fruits like any of the berries, mangos and pineapple. I know that some people use frozen beets, avocado and even kale or spinach in their smoothie bowls too.

And don’t forget about spices! I like to sprinkle on a little cinnamon onto my smoothie bowls, but you can also add spices into the smoothie mixture itself. Maybe you want to add turmeric to your smoothie bowl, kinda like a golden milk smoothie bowl. Or maybe you want to add a pinch of cayenne to a dark chocolate smoothie bowl. Try it! You may end up finding a flavor combo that you really love!

I have even more great smoothie bowl ideas with my Raspberry Pineapple Smoothie Bowl recipe and with My 5 Fave Smoothie Recipes download. It is totally free so make sure you grab your copy today!

Ok that’s my 5 tips to making the Ultimate Summer Smoothie Bowl! Let me know how your smoothie bowls turn out by tagging me at @nourish_with_renata and using the hashtag #nourishwithrenata on IG so I can see what you make!